Colombia declines to send Soviet weapons to Ukraine

Colombia and the United States have discussed the transfer of Soviet-made Colombian weapons to Ukraine, but Bogota refused this offer.

The statement came from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Kommersant reports.

According to him, the Soviet equipment located in the South American country is in poor condition and is not technically serviced. The president added that Colombia "does not take sides", but stands for peace.

"Therefore, not a single unit of Russian equipment, in whatever condition it is on our territory, will be used in this conflict," Gustavo Petro said at a press conference.

He noted that the Ukrainian issue was raised at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which is taking place in Buenos Aires. The Colombian president pointed out that it is not worth "betting" which bloc will eventually win, but it is necessary to demand peace.

On January 19, the head of the US Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, said that the US was working with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and six other unnamed countries on the issue of Russian arms supplies to Ukraine. According to her, Washington seeks to replace Russian weapons with American ones if these countries want to transfer them to Ukraine. The Kremlin is closely monitoring the situation.